Stamford substitute teacher pleads not guilty to sex charge

John Nickerson

Updated 10:14 pm, Thursday, March 27, 2014

STAMFORD -- The 72-year-old substitute teacher accused of masturbating in a Westhill High School hallway a month ago filed not-guilty pleas during a brief appearance at state Superior Court in Stamford on Thursday.

Michael Luecke entered the pleas to indecent exposure, risk of injury to a child and breach of peace after Judge Thomas Colin examined a physician's report showing that Luecke was competent to stand trial.

Colin said the report showed that Luecke, a former substitute music teacher for Stamford and Greenwich schools, understood the charges against him and would be able to aid in his own defense. Colin said a probation report showed that the city resident was abiding by his conditions of release.

A day after the Feb. 26 alleged incident at Westhill, Luecke was released on $10,000 bond. At his arraignment on Feb. 27, Colin required that Luecke stay away from all schools, have no contact with minors, undergo mental health evaluation and treatment, and remain under house arrest and electronic monitoring.

Luecke did not say anything during the hearing, except to his public defender, Howard Erhing. Colin scheduled Luecke's next court appearance for April 17.

Luecke declined comment after his appearance.

Police said the Strawberry Hill Avenue resident was spotted by an assistant teacher just after 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, lying on the floor and masturbating in a hallway of Westhill's Raynor House. A few minutes before, surveillance tapes showed Luecke watching students through a window, police said.

The assistant teacher said at first she thought the man was hurt and approached Luecke. She said Luecke's head was tilted back and his eyes were rolled back. She said she could see his hand moving in the zipper area of his pants, police said.

The assistant teacher said the man was startled when she asked him what he was doing, and he jumped up and hurried off, police said. The woman told police that after learning Luecke was a substitute teacher, she told him his behavior was very inappropriate. Luecke replied he had to "find somewhere else to do that," the assistant teacher told police.

When he realized he was being accused, Luecke said he is in his 70s and could not get an erection.

He said he was lying on his back because a clasp on his pants was not working properly and the only way to get the clasp to close was to lie down on his back and suck in his stomach.

But police said they found two surveillance videos that show Luecke masturbating.

As with Stamford schools, Greenwich school officials said they will no longer employ Luecke.

He has been removed from both districts' substitute list, schools officials said.